“Children Caught in the Cross-Fire”

Casey GwinnPresident,

National Family Justice Center Alliance

May 5, 2009Resource Information:

Email: casey@nfjca.orgWebsite: www.familyjusticecenter.org

Rose Jovero

Sgt. Paul Starzyk

Improving the Relationship Between Child Advocacy Centers, Family Justice Centers, and

Domestic Violence Shelters

Understand the History…Looking Forward…

FJC Vision Statement

• A future where… – All the needs of adult and child victims are met– Children are protected– Violence fades, – Batterers/abusers are held accountable– Economic justice increases,– Families heal and thrive, – Hope is realized, and – We ALL work together…

Brief Background on the Child Advocacy Movement

• Rev. Charles Brace the Orphan Trains• Mary Ellen Wilson Case – 1874 NYC (Led

to the founding of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children)

• Modeled after the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

• 1876 – NYSPCA and NYSPCC merged to form the American Humane Society to protect animals and children

Charles Wilson, Director, Chadwick Center for Children and Families, San Diego (former Director of the National

Children’s Advocacy Center

“The child welfare movement was born in paternalism and focused solely on the

protection of children, not the protection of battered women”

Brief Background on the Domestic Violence Movement

• Survivor-Driven• Born in a Rejection of Paternalism• Primarily focused on the protection of

battered women• Not aligned with the child welfare

movement in its philosophy, history, or operations…

The History

• The Women’s Movement• The Battered Women’s Movement• The Civil Rights Movement• The Modern Domestic Violence Movement• The Choice to Recruit the Criminal Justice

System• The Choice to Reach Out to Men• The Evolution Toward Co-Located

Services

The Future…The Greenbook Initiative…Child Advocacy Centers focusing on DV

Victims…Child Advocacy Centers and Family Justice Centers…

Working collaboratively…

Reaching the Vision is not an event…It is a long journey…

How often are they present?1992 New York Study

Children Are Present in 68% of All Reported Domestic Violence

Incidents

The Reality

• 3.3 to 10 million children witness domestic violence each year

• 54% of all child abductions occur in the context of domestic violence

• 75% of the children of divorced parents report witnessing domestic violence

• 70% of shelter children are victims of physical abuse or neglect

• Brain development is dramatically impacted by trauma exposure

The Research• 6% of pregnant women are battered (CDC 1997 Study)• Children of DV/CA homes are 6x more likely to commit suicide; 24x more likely to

be sexually assaulted; 60x more likely to be involved in delinquent behavior• Male children witnessing any DV: At least three times more likely to become

abusers• Children of most violent homes: 1000x more likely to become abusers• Dr. Harry Chugani: “We can have individuals who, based on early experiences,

are in effect "hard-wired" for negative behaviors.”• Dr. Bruce Perry: Persistent fear response; hyper-arousal; disassociation;

disrupted attachment process; neglect; lack of stimulation – results in limited capacity for empathy, learning disabilities, depression, lack of neural development and brain growth.

• Resiliency research…is very promising…(Werner, Smith 1982, 1998, 2001); (Katz & Windecker-Nelson,2006)

• (www.childwelfare.gov – Child Welfare Information Gateway)

Resources• The Link Research Project: Understanding the Link Between Child

Maltreatment and Woman Batteringwww.mincava.umn.edu/linkProvides up-to-date information on current research, practice, and promising intervention models with families experiencing domestic violence and child abuse and neglect.

• Resource Center on Domestic Violence: Child Protection and Custodywww.ncjfcj.org/dept/fvd/Comprehensive publications and technical assistance to the fields of domestic violence, child protection, and custody regarding policy and practice issues inherent in work with children exposed to domestic violence.

• Child Witness to Violence Projectwww.childwitnesstoviolence.orgOffers general information about the effects of domestic violence on children, statistics, and the Report on Violence and Children.

• The "Greenbook" Federal Initiativewww.thegreenbook.infoProvides resources and information regarding the six federally funded communities implementing the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges guidelines, Effective Intervention in Domestic Violence & Child Maltreatment Cases: Guidelines for Policy and Practice.

But the Silos are difficult to penetrate…

The Family Violence Program at Children’s Hospital

• 1989 - Assigned Advocates to Battered Women to Support Them in Family Court, Criminal Court, Juvenile Court

• Where Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Were Present in the Relationship

• Court Support• Safety Planning

Partnership with City Attorney and Family Violence Program

• Longer sentences with advocates in court• Study showed victims were less likely to

recant with support from FVP• Prior history far more extensive than prior

police contacts• High prevalence of sexual assault• Identification of high risk cases was easier

•The San Diego Family Justice Center…

www.sandiegofjc.org

Informed by…

• Child Advocacy Centers• Evidence-based practices• Multi-Disciplinary Work of DV Shelters• Survivors• Long history of collaborative work between

the domestic violence and child abuse communities in San Diego County

San Diego Grand Opening – October 2002

San Diego Family Justice Center

Military

ClinicalProgram

SDDeafMHS

APS

SDFJCFoundation

Children’sHospital

Teen Court

Probation

VictimWitness

TravelersAid

District Attorney

CCS

Chaplains

SDPDDV Unit

SDVLP

CityAttorney

VolunteerProgram

ForensicMedical

Unit

FJCDept

CTAPPFJCI

UPACSDPDElder

CAMPHOPE

HOMESTART

CWS

HumanTrafficking

Creating a Supportive Family Environment…• Client enters the

Front Porch at the Family Justice Center and checks in with the Receptionist.

San Diego FJC Dining Room

Living Rooms and Dens

• Intake Advocate greets Client, conducts a Client Assessment, develops a Safety Plan, and determines needed services

Children’s Room

The Greatest Challenge: Culture Change

• Before: • After:

FMU Facilities

San Diego FJC FMU Facilities

• Spacious Bathroom Facilities• New fixtures• Discrete

The Chadwick Center (CAC) Family Violence Project Team at the San

Diego Family Justice Center…

Opened September 2004

Meeting the Needs of Children…

• Children’s Hospital’s Chadwick Center (CAC) – Service Provider

• Goals: Provide all necessary children’s services on-site…– Forensic exams– Interviews– Therapy/Counseling

Central to the FJC Vision…

CampHOPE

C

Camp Hope for Children Impacted by Family Violence

• To heal• To give hope• To have fun

Go to: www.camphopesandiego.org

Tepee Village & Meeting Circle

Water Play

Water Play

Water Play - Kayaking

Fishing

Catching Frogs

Serenity Lodge at Camp HOPE

The San DiegoFamily Justice Center…

• Police Department Domestic Violence Unit• City Attorney’s DV Unit/District Attorney’s Family Protection

Division• 25 on-site and off-site public and private agency partners• TRO Clinic, Counseling, Food, Housing Assistance,

Transportation, Cell phones, Shelter advocates, Disability community advocates, System advocates, Military advocates, Probation, DA Victim/Witness, and Services for Children, Mentoring

• Forensic Medical Unit (Sharp’s Grossmont Hospital and UCSD Medical Center)

• Strong Volunteer Team, including Chaplains and Chaplains Assistants

• Camping, Early Intervention with Juvenile Offenders, Mentoring• 120 professionals on-site daily focused on DV• Evaluation Committee – Focus Groups with Clients

Client Focus Group Primary Response

“What took you so long?”

Initial Outcomes

The San Diego Family Justice Center: What are we seeing?

Family Justice Center –Initial Outcomes

• Natural client peer support• Broad cross-section of victims/clients• “Dropping charges” significantly reduced (30/70)• Client support/safety dramatically increased• Less focus on criminal justice system as sole or

primary response• Strong sense of “community” developing among

service providers• Collaboration, Efficiency• 30, 22, 18, 13, 9, 7, 5, 5, 3 in 2008…Aiming for

ZERO in one year…

Sally "You all made an extremely uncomfortable and embarrassing experience bearable. I found this setting to be very comfortable and the staff very professional including the volunteers." Carolyn Marshall "The chaplain was a great inspiration. I have future goals to accomplish with God! Thank you and I will one day offer my assistance to help others who are victims." DeeAnn "You provided very good support. I needed something to do with my hands. Someone went and brought me a deck of cards!" Nicole "I feel so much better. I thought that there were no group resources available, but now that I've come here, I'm more relieved that your helpful services are here to assist me in these matters. Thank you and God bless." Tammie "I came in this morning worried and dreading this experience. But the staff and workers here helped me leave here with hope. Thank you very much." Robert "This program is wonderful for us. It's very rare that this kind of thing happens to me but this place is helping me get through this. Thank you very much." Natalie "The place is a warm environment. The people are very friendly, helpful and professional and I am thankful this place exists." Sherry "Everyone was very polite, friendly and professional and understanding. The lounge area was so cheerful and fun and the children's playroom was fantastic."

Survivor VOICES

Marie "I felt I was safe, not pushed or intimidated. It was a great experience and they even fed me. I was hungry too. I enjoyed seeing my girls be kids again. I was apprehensive coming in thinking I could do this on my own. Thanks for your help in making me feel at ease." Amber "As embarrassing as the incidents were, I was made to feel comfortable and was not judged. Greatly appreciated the assistance. I was utterly flabbergasted. The entire process was family friendly, organized and professional, yet nurturing and caring. Everyone treated me with dignity and respect. They even fed me and thought about my children who weren't even here at the Center. Why hasn't this Center been available for us before?! And I thank you for your patience and kindness. God be with you." Tim "All of my questions were answered and I was informed of procedures and the way the process works. This is new to me but it's been easy for me to grasp the process because of the assistance. I felt a sense of hope when I came here." Andrea "I liked the purple outfits!!!" Catherine "I felt at ease. They assured me several times I came to the right place. It seemed everyone did their best possible job. Thank you for all the help." Todd "You guys are very great people, thank you, and God bless you! The people here are the only people that seemed to care and understand my situation. I can't thank them enough for listening to me and believing in me. Domestic abuse in the gay community is just as painful and serious as any other form of domestic violence, but usually no one cares."

Survivor VOICES

Fundamental Principle:

You cannot protect children if you do not protect their mothers…

Key Question: Are You Planning for the Safety of the Children in All

DV cases?

• Safety Plans for Kids• Support Groups for Kids

And on the other side…a key question:

• Are you planning for the safety of mothers in all child abuse cases?

• Do you have specially trained domestic violence advocates working as full partners in your child advocacy system?

• Are DV Survivors Central to Your CAC Vision and Child Welfare Vision?

• Beware of the Benevolent Batterer Syndrome

Promising Practices• Co-locating domestic violence advocates in child welfare offices for

case consultation and supportive services • Developing cross-system protocols and partnerships to ensure

coordinated services and responses to families – E.g. The Greenbook Initiative (www.thegreenbook.info)

• Co-located service delivery such as the Family Justice Center model• Instituting family court models that address overlapping domestic

violence and child abuse cases• Cross training domestic violence and child welfare advocates

regularly • Creating domestic violence units in child welfare agencies with

survivor-centered service delivery philosophy • Case conferencing with DV professionals on co-occurrence cases to

avoid removal of children whenever possible

Innovative Approaches

• National Children’s Advocacy Centerwww.nationalcac.org• Ouachita Parish FJC www.fjcouachita.org• St. Joseph County FJC Vision• Hillsborough County FJC• San Diego FJC/YWCA/Chadwick CAC

Vision

•The Long-Term Vision: CAC + FJC + Shelters Working Together in Every Way Possible

www.familyjusticecenter.org

• Proceeds help support the International FJC Alliance in its work around the world on behalf of victims and their children

Hope for Hurting Families III : A Guide to Co-Located Services in the Middle East

Reminders for Dreamers• Be Focused and Persistent• Be Overcomers: Politics, Turf Issues,

Competing Priorities, Enemies, Money, and Personality Conflicts

• Bringing together Child Advocacy services and Domestic Violence services is NOT EASY!

• Stay Humble• Learn from past mistakes• Listen to advocates/survivors• Always aspire, never settle• Beyond services…what is your Camp Hope?

Dream Big!

Thank you!www.familyjusticecenter.org